Shakespeares' poetry of pies road trip

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Neil Whittaker and Richard Anderson have been on the road this week, shaking a lot of hands, dealing with the press and smiling for the camera , and now are close to exhaustion. Pie tours are like that.

"We've been on the road since early in the weekend," said Neil Whittaker, chairman of Shakespeares Pies.

"It's been very tiring, but a lot of fun," added Richard Anderson, the former general manager of Jesters Jaffle Pies.

The pie tour took in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne to promote Shakespeares' recent purchase of Jesters, a deal that created Australia's largest pie franchise with more than 61 gourmet pie shops here and in New Zealand.

Shakespeares Pies, controlled by former Australian Rugby League chief Neil Whittaker's investment company, bought Jesters Pies from cattle company Australian Agricultural Co, which had owned it since late 2002.

AACo gets a 25 per cent stake in Shakespeares and a seat on the board. Mr Anderson, who started Jesters in 1997, said AACo had decided Jesters needed a retail-focused management.

An accountant before he set up Jesters, Mr Anderson fell in love with the product. "I saw a niche that hadn't been filled: we had a branded product in every fast-food category other than pies."

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Shakespeares' dominance in Sydney and Jesters' in Perth means they now have their sights on Melbourne. Shakespeares aims to open 10 new stores in Melbourne by mid-2005.

"The short-term plan is grow both those brands as quickly as possible in the three markets and get to critical mass," Mr Anderson said. "We would hope to take the best from each system and create the ultimate pie shop."